Sarah

Thank you. I'd missed that review!

My first set was 190-1 Farm Set http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/190_Farm_Set Date: 1975 (It was probably like 1978 when I got it though) I still have the pieces and probably the instructions in deep storage. Soon thereafter, I got: (Well, my sister and I probably each got 1 that Christmas but they both ended up as mine because I was the bigger Lego fan going forward) 261 Bathroom http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/261_Bathroom (date 1979) 269 Kitchen http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/269_Kitchen (date 1973)

On january 1st, I purchased Olivia's Inventor's Workshop Yesterday I got the Butterfly Beauty Shop! First two sets in my on-premise stock (I have a bunch of stuff in deep storage that I'd have to get to and inventory to see what is actually there. But I don't think I've purchased anything since the late 90s)

I'm pretty sure that is a sticker. And yeah, a sign is pretty easy to replace. Isn't that the point of Legos? Echo: OOOH! A ponytail. I LOVE it!

Why does it have to be a beauty shop? I was thinking more general store-ish. Maybe in a small town so "One size fits all" I'm not sure the bows will fit. VERY interested to see if they do. If so, I'll have to see what I can collect for a friend who owns a bow-making business.

The sets Emma's Splash Pool and Stephanie's Outside Bakery do not have the separate box on the front saying what figures are inside, leading me to believe they may not have one! (Looking at the number of minidolls vs minifigs per price point, I think minidolls are more expensive for Lego to produce) I was already buying a set at the limits of my budget -- waiting until Jan 14th to get a smaller one when more of my Toys R Us rewards bucks become available to use! Tools! Good idea. I've got Olivia's workbench and can use those (I've got lots more Legos -- but they are all boxed up in deep storage in South Carolina; I'm in Texas. I was trying to decide which set to buy to make it work differently. IE what piece would fit in.) I want to get the house... but I'm not sure if that is going to happen :) Luckily you can get quite a few kitchenware stuff in smaller sets!

I went to Toys R Us today to get the set with "Sarah" in it... I just had to have her even if it was the beauty salon. And it does have some fun things -- another hair, accessories to put in the hair, a haircut chair, and a purse! I really wanted a purse. They were SOLD OUT of the tree house! And well picked over on the other sets! I got one of only 2 hair salons It appears the little $6 sets do not have any people in them at all. Is this correct? I'm not thrilled with all the lipsticks. Any ideas of something else I can put in the window there instead?

If you asked my niece what she liked (12 years old) she'd tell you "I like writing, making jewelry, and planning parties" and she is neither shallow nor image-obsessed. But her one sentence definition is. Only time will tell if these sets are successful or not. I do know this: it was the Homemaker Kitchen and bathroom sets that drew me to Lego. VERY 'sexist" stuff, really. But it didn't hold me back on aspirations for the future. BUT! It was what I had fun playing with. I had Hot Wheels, the Little People garage and castle sets, a magic set, plus dolls and dollhouses. and played with all of them. (though I didn't tend to crash my cars together and such. Instead most of these became part of my family play.) My kids didn't put on makeup. But there were lots of animals involved! In fact, *I* became more technical than my play ever was. I liked the one chemistry lab set I had, as well as the 50-in-1 electronics set. But I didn't play any of that with my dolls.

I was first attracted to Legos back in the 70s because of the Farm Set, Kitchen, and Bathroom. (the first three sets I think we owned, certainly the only ones I remember clearly) Note: No minifigs. (well, the baby in the bathroom I think was. But most of the figures were the head and arms attached to a 2x2 flat and you built them up using 2x2 blocks. So no moveable legs either.) When I got older, I was an avid collector of Legos, asking for sets every holiday for a few years. I had a fire station set I LOVEd and a few outerspace sets. And then I got bored and set it aside. My parents still have these, waiting in the wings for me to have kids. In the 90s, I got into adult fan of Lego collecting. This is how I got onto ebay in the first place, to buy old favorite sets because "these new sets are no good. They don't let you use your imagination enough" After a while, though, I figured I had enough. especially because all I was doing was buying them. Not playing with them. So I boxed them up and was going to donate them to Goodwill when I needed the space (got married, adding another person to my 550 sq ft home). My parents took the box home and said they'd save it for when I had kids. I was occasionally interested in a Harry potter or Star Wars set... but never enough to put down money on one. Fast forward to today. I've got a 4 yr old DS and a 4 month old DD. DS has a whole Rubbermaid box full of Duplos, that he does not build with enough for my druthers :( We decided not to start Legos this year but wait to see how much DD picks up little pieces and puts them in her mouth, etc. Esp because DS is not asking for Legos yet. And Lego came out with Lego Friends! I went out on Jan 1 and bought the Inventor's Workshop and the Design Studio. I want... so many others. The Treehouse. The House. The beauty parlor with a character named "Sarah". I am excited about Lego again and collecting -- well both for me and to give to my DD later, when she's old enough. --Sarah in TX DS 8/2007, DD 8/2011 Lego Friends excites me.